On Tue, 14 May 1996, Robert Gellman wrote:
> Lew Lorton just posted a notice about a recently announced workshop on a
> master patient index. I just want to use it to make a point. In the
> debate on the medical privacy legislation, some have said that the
> proposed legislation is terrible because it would permit centralized
> computerized databases of patient information. It is not that simple.
I haven't posted notes from the May 10 workshop yet, but here is
something else to think about. Both Dr. Jim Fackler, from Harvard, and
Professor Ross Anderson, from Cambridge University, discussed models of
records management that could be implemented over a Web type technology,
but not as a centralized database. They had in mind decentralized
systems with URL's, and encrypted records, with the patient deciding what
if anything to share with whom ..... Professor Anderson said that
researchers would send out blinded requests for data, and would be truly
voluntary.... directly to primarily care providers... His paper on
this, found on the EPIC wep page... is very interesting.
jamie
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James Love / love@tap.org / P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
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Center for Study of Responsive Law
Consumer Project on Technology; http://www.essential.org/cpt
Taxpayer Assets Project; http://www.tap.org
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